You Can't Go Home Again
by QuietChick
Summary: Lance's home was invaded when he was kid. But now, he finds his family, friends, everyone, survived. Will he stay with the Voltron Force? More importantly, will he stay with Alura?
1. Chapter 1

_I'm sure I'm committing mortal sin with the pairings here, but this is what I want to see, so this is what I write. Deal with it. Nya nya! Anyway, this will be a crossover with Final Fantasy 6. I hope you like it!_

The people had all gathered their belongings and were packing them into ships specially designed to move them to there temporary new home. Only one or two more groups of refugees remained to be moved. The five members of the Voltron Force watched as people said goodbye to the planet that had been their "home" for 15 years.

They had been relocated by Zarkon's forces 15 years ago, and forced into slavery, producing machines for his vile army. Now, with Zarkon finally behind bars, they were free. For the time being, they would be staying on Arus, in a small city that had hastily been built up for them. The people of Arus, as well as the Voltron Force, had been more than willing to help their transition back to freedom.

An old man stumbled over a rock on the ground as he tried to carry a box toward the transport ships. Keith, leader of the Voltron Force, caught him before he hit the ground.

"Careful, sir," Keith said with a kind smile. He picked up the old man's box and carried it to the ship.

"Almost everyone has left," Princess Alura said when Keith came back. "Only the queen and her brother-in-law, a few generals, and other close friends and advisors are left. They'll be heading straight to the castle to stay."

"Well, they sound like they'll be comfortable in a castle," Pidge, the youngest member of the Voltron Force squeaked out. "They sound like a bunch of royal folks."

Lance, second in command, shrugged. "Not everyone that grew up in a castle is bad," he replied. "I grew up in a castle, actually."

"A castle?" Hunk, the strongman of the group, asked. "What are ya', some kinda' prince?"

Lance smirked. "You know I'm not. My mom was a soldier in the King's army, and my dad an engineer. He actually designed most of the castle, I think. He may have been in the army too. I don't remember."

"You don't even know what your dad did for a living?" Pidge asked, incredulously. "That's kinda' weird."

"My planet was destroyed when I was 7. I barely remember anything about my old life. I just know I lived in a castle in the middle of the desert when I was kid," Lance replied. "It wasn't like the castle on Arus. It was like a small town. All the soldiers and their families lived there. And the maids and everyone that worked for the king."

Alura smiled. She looped her arm through Lance's. "It's nice, to me anyway, that you're used to castle life. I'm glad it's not torture for you living in Castle Arus."

Keith clapped his hands to get their attention. "Okay everyone, let's load up this last group and get going." He ran off in the direction of a small group of people and began directing them to the ships. Pidge and Hunk quickly left too to begin helping.

Lance smiled at the princess. "Well, Princess, shall we get to work?" he asked. Alura nodded. The two headed off to begin helping people, when a few drops of rain began to fall.

"Lance, you probably didn't get a lot of rain in the desert, did you?" Alura asked. Lance shrugged, his usual reply to any question.

"Not much. I had a friend who lived on the other side of the mountains. She got a lot of rain there. She used to tell me someday, she hoped I could be in a really good rain storm so I could learn to dance in the rain."

"What was her name?" Alura asked. Lance didn't often talk about his home planet, and she wanted him to talk more.

"Raya. She was like a sister to me. I remember the night they attacked…."

FLASHBACK

"Run! Raya! Lance! Run!" A blonde-haired woman yelled at the two children. She held her sword in front of her and prepared to fight. "I'll hold them back! Hurry to the caves!"

The young girl shook with fear. She didn't want to leave her mother, not in such a dangerous situation. The robots that had attacked from the sky began to surround them.

Her companion, a young boy, grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "C'mon, Raya! We have to get out of here!"

They dashed around sand dunes and ran as fast as the could. The caves were in view, and the girl let out a sigh of relief. "We're almost… YAAGH!" she shouted.

Two robots had appeared in front of them. Lance pulled the small dirk out of the holster on his side. His father handed it to him as they fled the castle for the safety of the caves. "Raya! Go! You're almost there! I'll catch up in a second!!"

He pushed her and she continued on, looking back desperately to see if her friend was okay.

The young boy bravely stood his ground, trying to slow the robots. A gust of wind blew up, knocking over the robots and covering them all in sand.

He woke up hours later, as the sun began to rise. He winced as the light burned his eyes.

"A survivor! Over here! Sir!" someone shouted.

A man in armor with the initials GG came over. He picked up the young boy. "What's you're name, lad?" he asked.

"Lance…" the boy replied quietly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Commander McClain, from Galaxy Garrison. Don't worry, you're safe now."

"Where's my mama?"

The commander was silent for a second. "I'm sorry. We haven't found any other survivors."

END FLASHBACK

"So, the commander who rescued you ended up adopting you," the princess concluded.

Lance nodded. "He's the main reason I joined the academy. I wanted to stop Zarkon from destroying more planets."

Alura patted his shoulder understandingly. "Well, I'm glad you're here anyway."

Lance smirked. "Well, as long as you're happy, Princess…"

They continued their work, when Alura suddenly noticed Keith helping a young woman. He took a box from her and began to blush bright pink when she thanked him.

"Look at that," Alura said, pointing it out to Lance. "I think Keith has a crush!"

Lance glanced up for a second. He furrowed his brows for a second, and returned his gaze to Keith and the woman. "She kind of looks familiar," he mused, not quite sure where he had seen her before.

Meanwhile, Keith was blushing more and more as the young woman talked with him. She was very beautiful: long, luscious blond hair; deep, penetrating blue eyes; and a smile that could light up a galaxy. She raised her head a took a deep breath.

"Don't you love the rain?" She asked Keith. He just muttered an "uh-huh." She lifted her arms and drank in the joy of the rain. She began to twirl. "When I was young, I used to always dance in the rain. Today, things are so happy, I finally feel like dancing again! For the first time in 15 years!"

Keith smiled. "Then dance away," he said. "I'm just sorry it took so long for us to help you."

She was about to say something more, but was interrupted by someone shouting. "Raya? Raya!"

A man came out a of nowhere, picking her up and twirling her around. "Raya! It is you!" He exclaimed. He put her down and she stared at his face, squinting. When she finally realized who he was, she fell to her knees, sobbing.

"Lance?" she sobbed. "Is it really you?" She looked up at him through her tears.

Alura had come running behind Lance and stood next to Keith. She dropped her jaw, witnessing the exchange. "Lance? Are these people from your home planet?"

Lance smiled and nodded, and pulled the woman up to her feet. "Raya! It's really you! I can't believe it!"

Raya wiped away some tears. "Lance, I'm so sorry. What happened, that night, when they attacked… I was so scared. I didn't know what to do," she said between sobs. "Please forgive me."

"Raya! Raya, what's going on?" a man called from behind. He and a woman, both in their late 40's, came up to the group.

Raya beamed with pride. "Daddy? Do you know who this is? Don't you recognize him?"

The man stared closely at Lance for a second, confusion spread across his face. "Edgar?" he whispered after a few seconds. "No, you're not Edgar…"

"Gerad?" the older woman asked.

Raya shook her head. "Mama, daddy. It's Lance. It's really Lance!" she exclaimed joyfully.

The woman gasped. "Oh goddesses. It is you!" she cried joyfully, throwing her arms around him. "I thought… Oh, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you!" She held Lance out at arms length. "You have your father's face. You look so much like him."

Lance smiled. "Celes, Locke," he addressed the woman and man, respectively. "I can't believe you're all alive! I thought everyone had died."

Celes shook her head. "No, no. Actually, many of us survived the attack. You're mother! Have you seen her yet?!"

Lance's eyes widened. "My parents are alive?" he asked happily.

Raya's eyes lowered. "Not exactly. You're mother is, but you're father… he's actually the only person, besides you, that didn't make it that day." She looked up and smiled. "But, now YOU'RE here. And not only that, _you're_ our hero! Your mother will be so happy!"

She grabbed Lance's arm and dragged him away. Keith turned to Alura and asked, "Do you feel like you missed something here?"

Alura shrugged ala Lance. "His people are all alive. He must be so relieved! And to see his best friend after so many years- he told me they were like brother and sister growing up."

Keith relaxed a little. "So, she's still available then?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Mama?" the young boy asked, his eyes full of curiosity. "Are you sure I'm Papa's kid? Uncle Sabin looks more like Papa than I do. Is Uncle Sabin Papa's kid?"

The woman he had addressed smiled and kneeled down to talk to five year old boy face to face. "Uncle Sabin is your father's brother. They are twins, so of course they look alike," she explained gently.

"Twins? But, Papa's… Papa! How can he have a brother? He's an adult," the child complained.

"Well, Lance, even adults were children once, too. Everyone is born a baby. But they grow up, and turn into adults," she answered. "And besides, you do look a lot like your father."

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. My hair is brown, and my eyes are brown. Papa doesn't have brown hair or brown eyes. Neither do you."

The woman sighed. "Well, no, we don't. But, my father had hair the same color as yours. And eyes. And besides, your chin, and your nose- they look just like your father's!"

The little boy scratched his head. "So, if Grandpa had brown hair, why do you have green hair? Actually, no one has green hair besides you. Are you special or something?"

The woman wasn't sure how to reply. "Well… everyone is special, in some way. We're all unique. But the thing is, the important things about us are very similar."

The boy looked satisfied with her answer. She sighed in relief, grateful not to have to elaborate.

"Come on, Lance," she said quietly. "Let's get going. We have some errands to finish up."

END FLASHBACK

Hunk was helping someone carry a large box onto the transport ships. The man, who had introduced himself as Sabin, was very large and strong. He was well over 6 feet tall, and bulging with muscles, even at his mature age. His strength easily put Hunk to shame.

"So, how's it goin'?" Hunk asked, his voice a little tight from the exertion.

"Can't complain," Sabin replied. "Glad to be getting out of here. I don't care where we go, as long as it's not here."

Hunk grunted in agreement. "Yea, I bet it was awful bein' here. You're all just lucky you survived Zarkon's original attack. He's got a nasty streak a light year long."

Sabin smirked. "Yea, I guess we are. Just a couple people died that day. My brother, and his son."

"Ouch. Sorry," Hunk said, embarrassed. "That's a pretty bad day."

Sabin shrugged, which caused the weight to shift awkwardly. "It was worse for my sister-in-law though. She was completely devastated. But, I know Edgar, my brother, would be happy to know that we're all getting out of here now. He'd be glad to know he didn't sacrifice himself in vain." Sabin grunted as he tried to rebalance the weight, but it was to no avail. "We'll have to sit this down a second to try to readjust," he said to Hunk.

Raya was pulling Lance through the crowds, when she suddenly stopped. She turned to two men carrying a huge box. Hunk and the other man sat it down to rest for second. Raya turned and ran towards them.

"Sabin! Sabin!" she shouted. "Guess who's here!"

The man she addressed, Sabin, was wiping the sweat off his face with a handkerchief, so didn't look up. "If it's not someone with a forklift, I'm not interested."

Raya stopped short. "Oh, okay, no problem," she said sweetly. "Come on, Lance, your uncle has no time for his long lost nephew."

Sabin laughed. "Ha ha, Raya, very funny." He put his handkerchief back in his pocket, and turned to the two.

His jaw dropped, and he wasn't quite sure what to say. "Umm- I … uh," he stammered.

Lance took a step forward and smiled somewhat nervously. "Uncle Sabin?" he asked, somewhat hopefully.

Sabin's eyes began to water. He grabbed Lance in a bear hug and squeezed him hard. "My goddess, I can't believe it's really you!" he whispered, his voice choking on his tears. "I thought you- and… but, you're… then…!"

Lance's face was turning blue from lack of oxygen. "Uh, Sabin, if you don't let him go, he will be dead soon," Raya said, pulling the two apart.

"Oh, right, sorry. I forget my own strength sometimes," Sabin said. He reached a hand behind his head and scratched sheepishly. "I'm kinda' a little overwhelmed."

Lance gasped for breath. "Yea, me too," he said. "I can't believe you're all okay!"

Sabin snorted. "You think a little thing like the end of the world could do me in?" he asked with a laugh.

"I should've known better," Lance admitted.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Hunk exclaimed. "They think you're dead, you think they're dead, but everyone's really okay! What a great reunion!"

"Have you seen your mom yet?" Sabin asked. "She's going to scream when she sees you!"

Lance shook his head. "We were just on our way there," Lance explained.

Sabin looked at the big box on the ground. "I'll get this loaded onto the ship, and then come meet you at your mom's place," he said. "I'll be as quick as I can. You better hurry though. You're mom… this will mean a lot to her."

"Right!" Raya exclaimed, taking Lance's arm and pulling him off again.

FLASHBACK

The woman was sleeping soundly next to her husband when the explosions began. She sat bolt upright immediately and jumped out of bed. Her husband was beside her in a flash, rummaging through the closet for a robe to throw over his pajamas.

The woman threw a cape on and ran downstairs to her son's room. The young boy was screaming as the bombs dropped around their home.

"Mama!" he screamed as she pulled him out of bed and carried him outside. She ran barefoot into the sand with the boy, her husband close behind her. "Mama! What's happening?"

"I don't know yet," she said through heavy breaths. "We have to get to safety."

"Get all the civilians into the basement!" her husband commanded a passing a guard. "Rouse all the guards and soldiers and prepare for battle!"

The woman ran toward someone she recognized, a tall blonde woman dragging a young girl with her through the confusion.

"Celes!" she cried to her friend. The blonde came running over to her. "Celes! Take Lance and Raya and get to the caves! We'll cover things here," she said, handing the frightened boy over.

"But, don't you need my help?" the blonde protested.

"Yes," the woman said, her eyes completely serious. "I need your help getting my son to safety."

The blonde nodded and began to run off.

"Wait," the woman's husband called. He handed a small sword the boy. "Take this. Protect yourself and your allies."

The boy began to sniffle. "I don't want to leave you," he whined helplessly.

The woman ripped a pendant from around her neck and placed it in the boy's hand. "As long as you have this, I will always be with you," she promised him.

END FLASHBACK

Raya stopped in front of a small house near the back of the encampment. By this time, Alura and Keith had caught up to her and Lance. She knocked anxiously on the door and proceeded inside.

"Lady Terra!" she called out.

A woman, about 45 years old, with pale green hair, gentle blue eyes, and a sad, yet beautiful face, turned to them.

"Yes, Raya?" she asked, her voice calm and emotionless.

"Lady Terra! You'll never believe this! It's-"

"Mama!" Lance interrupted, overcome at seeing his mother for the first time in 15 years.

The woman dropped the vase in her hand, not even noticing the crash as it shattered on the ground.

"Lance?" she asked, her voice a half-whisper. "Is it really you?"

She took a few steps toward him and placed her hands on his face. "It really is you!"

Lance smiled, his eyes filled with joy. "Yes, Mama, it is me."

The woman's eyes filled with tears and she fell to her knees. "Lance!" she cried. "I thought I had lost you forever!"

Lance held her hands and tried to comfort her. "Mother, it's okay. Everything is fine now. I… I thought I had lost you all. It's so amazing to see you again."

The woman looked up at her son, biting her lip to hold back the sobs. "Yes, it is okay now," she repeated. She brought her hands to her face and gasped. "This is amazing. We finally have regained our freedom- and now, we have our King too!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Papa, why does your coin have you and Uncle Sabin on it?" the young boy asked. "Don't most coins have a head and a tail?"

The man smiled down at his son. "Most coins do normally have a head and a tail, yes," he replied. "But this coin is special. Your grandfather made it when your uncle and I were born." He took the coin from his son and flipped it in the air. "It's very important to me. It's a reminder that we all have the ability to control our own destinies. But you and I- we're very special. We can also have control over the destiny of the people we love and care for."

"What makes us special, Papa?" the boy asked.

"Well, you and I-"

"Sir Edgar! We have a meeting soon!" a guard shouted from the doorway.

The man frowned. "We'll finish this later," the man said to his son as he walked away.

END FLASHBACK

"King?" Lance asked incredulously. "Mama… what are you talking about?"

"Didn't Raya tell you? You're father- he didn't survive the attack. You're our only son- so, you're …" Terra began to explain. She faltered at the end and gazed at her sons eyes. "You have no idea that your father was the king of Figaro, do you?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

Lance shook his head dumbly. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped to the ground.

After a few minutes, he finally came to his senses. "Why didn't it ever occur to anyone to mention this to me when I was a kid?" he asked, not quite sure what else to say.

"Ummm, that would be my fault," Sabin said, as he came in the door. "See, when we were kids, I didn't want to be king, cause it was a lot of work and junk. So, Edgar decided to not talk about it with you so much when you were young. He kinda wanted to wait till you were older."

"That's …nice?" Lance replied, still confused. "Are you sure I'm the right guy?" he asked, turning to Terra.

Terra smiled softly. "I'm afraid so."

Meanwhile, Keith was having a difficult time hiding his laughter. As everyone turned to him, he broke out laughing hysterically.

"It's funny… Lance… in charge of something!" he gasped between laughs.

Lance resisted the urge to punch his friend in the face, and instead rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, _Commander_."

Keith wiped the tears from his eyes and calmed down. "Lance, you couldn't lead a group of mice to cheese. You'd get mad at them somewhere along the way and throw the cheese off a cliff or something."

"Keith!" Alura scolded, hitting him in the shoulder. "That's a horrible thing to say! Especially in front of his mother."

Raya shook her head in disbelief. "Lance, how could you not know your dad was a king? Even I knew that, and I didn't even live in the same town you did!"

Lance shrugged. "I guess I never thought to ask."

"Well, we should finish packing and get going," Terra said. She touched Lance's shoulder. "Perhaps we can talk about this later."

BEGIN FLASHBACK

Three days earlier…

"You wanted to talk to me, Lance?" Alura asked as she stepped out onto the stone bridge leading to the Castle of Lions.

Lance was leaning against a pylon, his hands stuffed in his pocket. He had been staring at the starry sky when Alura joined him.

"Yea…" he said, not quite sure how to begin. Alura took a step closer to him, and rubbed her arms to warm up.

"I forget how chilly it gets so late at night," she said absentmindedly, trying to erase the silence. She had never seen Lance so serious… or so worried.

He immediately took his jacket off and wrapped it around Alura's shoulders, pulling her another step closer. He stared at her face, her soft lips so close to his… he could feel her breath on his neck.

He dropped his arms to his side and turned away. Alura looked down. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Alura…" Lance began. "You know how I feel about you, right?"

Alura shrugged. "I'm a little worried right now, to tell you the truth."

Lance grabbed her hands. Startled, she looked at his eyes, filled with passion.

"If I thought for a second I could ever be good enough for you, I'd marry you right now," he said, his voice unwavering. "But you need someone better. Someone who can help you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lance!" Alura admonished. "No one could possibly be better for me than you!"

Lance brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "Face it, Alura. I'm not cut out to be a leader. You need someone who can be a good king for your people."

"But I want _you_," she replied.

"I want you, too," Lance said. "But you know you need to take care of Arus. And I couldn't live with myself if I couldn't be the man you need me to be."

"But, Lance, you're being ridiculous! You're a hero to our planet. No one would bat an eye if I married you."

"I'm no leader, though," Lance said. "You have to marry a leader, and that's not who I am. I wasn't born to lead. I wasn't born to be a king."

"But-"

"Just, promise me this," Lance interrupted before she could argue. "Think about it. Think hard. I know your people need you, and you need them. Just think about it."

Alura leaned her head against his shoulder, letting his shirt soak up her tears. "Why do have to be so selfless? This would be easier if you would just forget everyone else and marry me. I mean, if you're not meant to be a leader, then you shouldn't care about the people anyway, right?"

Lance sighed. "Someone once told me, 'We all have the ability to control our own destiny. But a truly lucky person can control the destiny of the people they love.'"

Alura reached up and kissed him. "I'll think. I promise," Alura said. "But it's going to take a lot to make me give you up."

Lance wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let's hope so."


	4. Chapter 4

At dinner that evening, the Voltron Force joined Allura in welcoming the queen, to Arus. She had invited a number of close friends: Terra's brother-in-law, Sabin; the general of the Royal Figaro Army, Celes; Celes' husband, and treasure-hunter extraordinaire, Locke; they're daughter, Raya; Retainer-to-the-throne and master swordsman, Cyan; former assassin, Clyde (Shadow); Clyde's daughter, the famous artist, Relm; an old scholar, who raised Relm as his own granddaughter, Strago; and a young man, raised in the wild, Gau.

During the actual meal, the conversation was light and friendly. They talked about Voltron's many victories over Planet Doom. But after the plates had been clear, the Voltron Force, Terra, and her friends, remained at the table.

"So, what exactly happened that night?" Lance asked carefully, after what seemed like eons of silence.

Terra took in a sharp breath. "Do you really want to discuss that?" she asked.

Lance nodded solemnly, his usual sarcasm gone.

She nodded slowly. "After I sent you away…"

FLASHBACK

Terra turned to her husband as Celes and the children fled. "Did we do the right thing?" she asked.

He shrugged. "We're doing what we hope is best for him. That's what we always do."

The robots had begun to surround the castle. Terra and her husband drew their swords, and ran off into battle.

Terra swung ferociously at the robots, knocking them down in a single blow. But they kept coming, and their numbers made victory seem impossible. Terra took a deep breath as she tried to regroup behind a fallen piece of concrete. As she stepped out of her hiding place, one of the robots grabbed her shoulder and hit her in the stomach. She doubled over, dropping her sword. The robot grabbed her wrist and shackled it with a heavy chain.

"What the-!" she began to scream. She kicked out with her leg and knocked the robot back. The heavy chain pulled her arm down. She struggled to reach her sword. As her fingers curled around the handle, she was knocked over by an explosion.

"No!" she screamed as she saw the desert sands explode. She feared for her son as the bombs continued crashing all around them. Another robot picked her up effortlessly by the neck of her nightgown. She tried to fight free, but the robot was much stronger than she was. It shackled her other wrist and carried her back toward the castle.

Apparently, no one had fared better than she in the short battle. Many of the castle residents, the guards and soldiers, had already been captured and gathered back at the castle. Near the castle steps, a hideous blue-green man in a crown laughed maniacally at the prisoners.

"That was too easy!" he shouted. "This pathetic world didn't stand a chance! We should have captured them years ago!"

Terra saw robots throwing Celes and Raya into the crowd of prisoners. Celes was struggling ferociously. "Let go of me, you creeps! I'm a general! Not some opera floozy!" Celes yelled at them. Terra ran to Celes and Raya, frantically scanning the scenery for Lance.

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice tight from fear.

Celes looked down, ashamed. "They attacked us when we were running- I… I don't know where he is, Terra. I'm so sorry," she said through choking sobs.

Terra's eyes widened in distress. "They- they got him…" she whispered, unbelieving.

Suddenly, a glint of light behind a sand dune caught Terra's eye. She became hopeful, realizing Edgar, her husband, was still safe. He leapt from his hiding spot, his sword drawn, ready to strike- when a blast of sickly blue light hit him in the chest and knocked him to the ground.

"Oh, one last pathetic stand?" the hideous man asked mockingly. "Thank you, Witch Hagar, for taking care of him."

He picked Edgar up by the collar.

"And who are you, you brave fool?"

Edgar spat in his face. The man threw Edgar to the ground. "That's quite disgusting."

Edgar tried to get to his feet, but the blast had injured him more than he realized. Still, he chuckled, a sincere smile on his face. "This is pointless of you, you know. Even if you destroy Figaro a hundred times, we'll just rebuild it a hundred times."

The hideous man, Zarkon, laughed. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic." He kicked Edgar in the side, knocking him down the stairs.

A guard pushed past the robots and knelt beside Edgar. "Sire! Are you alright!"

"Sire?" Zarkon asked, his interest piqued. "Is that what your problem is?" Zarkon knocked the guard aside and motioned for the robots to lift Edgar back to his feet. He winced in pain at the sudden movement.

"So, you're the king, huh?" Zarkon asked, his voice oozing with evil. "Isn't that lovely? You know, you and I have something in common. I am also a king."

"You're no king," Edgar seethed. "You're a coward!"

"Is that so?" Zarkon replied, calmly removing his sword. He slapped Edgar with the blade, leaving a thin trail of blood across his face.

Edgar laughed heartily. "Is that the best you've got? A slap?"

Zarkon clenched his fist and punched Edgar in the stomach. "I'll show you who's the real king!"

Zarkon eyed the crowd. "I'll make a deal with you. You're clearly a good warrior, dedicated man, that sort of thing," he said, the evil in his eye. "I'll spare you, keep you on as one of my generals-"

"I'll never serve the likes of you," Edgar seethed. "You're a coward."

"Oh, but you didn't hear the other option," Zarkon side, his voice patronizingly sweet. "You can stay on as my general, OR you can die. Of course, if you choose to save your own skin, I'll have to make it up by killing all these people. But, you'll be alive. Won't that be nice?"

Edgar's eyes filled with rage. "I will never sacrifice my people!" he declared firmly, his voice angry. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Why don't you release me and fight me man-to-man?"

Zarkon stared at his sword a moment. "I prefer not to get my hands dirty, but for you, I'll make an exception."

He motioned for the robots to push Edgar to his knees. "And I don't need to prove myself to a fallen king." With one swift motion, he brought his sword down.

A single shriek of terror, rage, and ferocity rang from the crowded prisoners. Terra had fallen to her knees, not even realizing she was screaming.

"Take the prisoners onto the ship, then set this planet on fire," Zarkon commanded as he stepped over the fallen king's body. "I need to wash my hands."

END FLASHBACK

"How awful!" Allura exclaimed as Terra finished the story. "That monster!"

Lance was silent, but his feelings were quite visible. His teeth were clenched, and he was shaking with rage. Without saying a word, he got up and left the table.

No one followed him immediately, unsure of what to do. "Perhaps I should go talk to him," Terra offered, rising from her seat.

"Let me," Allura said, gently pushing Terra back down. "I think I understand what's going on."

On the terrace outside the Castle of Lions, Lance was leaning against a stone wall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket.

"What am I supposed to do, Allura?" he asked when he heard footsteps approaching.

"How'd you know it was me?" Allura replied, stepping to his side.

He shrugged. "Just seems like you have a habit of finding me out here for these unpleasant conversations."

She looped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I can't leave the Voltron Force- not until I've stopped Zarkon. But now these people all need me- or they think they need me, anyway."

"They do," Allura said quietly. "You're they're king."

"Some king. I don't even know how to be a king. I didn't even know I was a king until a few hours ago. How am I supposed to be a king anyway? I'm just a pilot."

"First of all, you're not JUST a pilot. You're a member of the Voltron Force, and a true hero. Secondly, we can always find a replacement if we need to. I know Sven would help out, and you will too when we need you. Besides, Zarkon's all but done with, so we don't have a lot going on anyway."

"I can't let him get away with what he's done!"

"He's got nothing left! No followers, no robots, no fighter ships! All he has is his stupid son and that witch!" Allura protested. She took a deep breath and continued. "Lance, I know you'll do fine. It seems like your father's been grooming you since you were a kid for this job. You're brave, selfless, and strong. And you have a sixth sense that seems to help you make the right decisions, even if they are quite rash."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Sixth sense? Nah, that's ridiculous. I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo. We never had magic or anything like that on my planet."

"That's not the point. You just need to believe in yourself as much as everyone else believes in you."

Lance sighed. "Thanks. You know, it kinda' sucks. I finally start feeling like I could be a good king, and now I have to leave you."

Allura's eyes began to tear up. "It's okay. I'll always love you, Lance."

Lance wrapped his arms around Allura and held her tight.


	5. Chapter 5

Lance and Allura rejoined the group in the dining room after a few minutes. Terra quickly stood and worriedly stared at her son.

"Are you alright?" she asked, wringing her hands. "I'm sorry, Lance. I shouldn't have told you."

"It's fine, Mama," Lance replied, taking his seat. "I need to know. By the way, are there any other major details about my life you want to tell me?"

Terra and Sabin briefly exchanged nervous glances. "Not right now," Terra said cautiously. "Perhaps some other time."

Lance glanced at her suspiciously. "O….kay."

Allura cleared her throat. "What was your husband like, Highness?" she asked curiously. "Lance doesn't remember much about his father. I'm sure we'd all like to hear more."

Terra sighed, grateful for the distraction. "He was… very special."

"A very generous person," Sabin continued.

"A brave warrior," Celes added.

"And a complete letch," Locke finished with a smile. Celes thwapped him in the arm and shushed him. "Aww, come on, Celes. He was my best friend. If anyone knows how he'd wanted to be remembered, it's me."

Sabin laughed. "Edgar certainly fancied himself a ladies' man. What was that line? 'There are as many women in here as there are grains of sand out there'?"

Allura giggled. "I hoped he used that before he married you, Highness."

Terra smiled slightly. "It was actually something he said to keep people from finding me."

"I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Keith quipped. He blushed when Raya laughed.

"Well, we were thinking of going to Figaro to clean up, to see if it will be at all possible to move back," Terra said after a brief silence. "Would you like to come with, Lance?"

"Um, I guess so," Lance replied. "It might be nice to see the old place again."

FLASHBACK

Terra smiled as the children waived goodbye. It had been years since their town had been destroyed, and their parents killed. But now, they had all been adopted, and were happily starting new lives with new parents. They didn't need her anymore, and she couldn't be happier.

Edgar, who had been constantly available to help with renovations, was there as the children moved into their new homes. He placed an arm gently around her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Terra smiled and nodded, a single tear coming to her eye. "Yes. Thank you."

Edgar turned Terra to face him. "My dear lady, I'm very happy to see these children in new homes. But I worry about you, my friend. Please come back to Figaro castle with me."

Terra shrugged. "I'd hate to be a burden. Perhaps I could move to Kohlingen. Locke says there is a lot of work at the farms."

"Terra, my dear, it wouldn't be a burden at all. I would love to have you."

Terra blushed and looked away. "Edgar, I don't know…. It would be difficult."

Edgar dropped to his knee. "Terra, you know I can't stop thinking about you, and I can't stand to be away from you. Please, my dear, come back with me. Not just as a friend, but as my queen!"

Terra gasped. "What? Edgar, I… I don't know what to say!"

"Just come with me," he pleaded, holding her hands. "I promise to love you and show you my love every day of my life!"

"But, why me? Is it because of my… abilities?"

"I'll give you three reasons. First of all, your beauty has captivated me! Second... I'm dying to know if I'm your type... I guess your ...abilities... would be a distant third," he admitted sheepishly.

She smiled, tears in her eyes. "Yes, Edgar. I will go with you!"

END FLASHBACK

They flew the Lions to Lance's home planet. Raya had asked to ride with Keith. He turned bright pink, and stammered "yes" as she jumped into Black Lion. Allura brought Koran with her, to serve as advisor as they searched the planet. Hunk brought Celes and Locke, and Lance brought his mother and Sabin.

They landed on the outskirts of a desert, next to a small mountain range. Lance stared off toward a cave in the mountains, the same one he had tried to escape to that night. He shook off the dark feelings and began to follow his mother in the direction of the castle.

They made there way through the hot desert, and came upon a tall, grey stone castle. "Believe it or not, this castle holds some of our world's most advanced machinery," Sabin said proudly. "Invented and built by _my_ brother."

Terra cautiously pushed open the doors and stepped inside. She led the group through the entryway and onto the platforms of the castle. The bright desert sun and sandy winds made her squint. "This is our home," she said to no one particular. "I never did get used to all the sand."

"This is where you grew up?" Allura asked Lance. "And you never suspected a thing?"

Lance shrugged. "A lot of people lived here. The soldiers, the mechanics, the gaurds…"

Terra nodded in agreement. "It was like a town in and of itself. We even had a manufacturing facility here. We sent goods to be sold in South Figaro."

She walked quickly up to the doors leading into the main part of the castle and pushed them open. Inside, pictures lined the walls, suits of armor stood proudly guarding the throne room, and cobwebs crept over long lost relics.

Terra walked slowly to the wall and lifted off a picture. It was blonde man, with long, golden silky hair; piercing blue eyes; a half-smirking smile; long, thin face; strong chiseled jaw; and slightly crooked nose. His face was lean, but strong, mirroring Lance's.

"Edgar…" Terra whispered quietly. "I had forgotten how realistic Relm's paintings are." Tears welled up in Terra's eyes and she gently caressed the canvas. She clutched the painting to her chest and sobbed quietly. Sabin placed a strong arm around her and held her for a few seconds. "I didn't realize how hard this would be. I didn't think I'd ever see his face again!"

"Mama," Lance began, not quite sure what to say.

Terra looked up and smiled. "I thought I lost both of you that day. It means so much to me to have you back," she said, gently placing a hand on Lance's face.

Sabin had been wandering around the room and picked a large golden spear up from a pile of rubble. "Hey, Lance!" he called out cheerily, tossing the spear over. "Check it out. You were named after this!"

Lance caught the spear and looked at Sabin suspiciously. "Of course, Uncle Sword," he said sarcastically.

Terra sighed. "It's true. Edgar picked your name. Since his name meant 'wealthy spearman', and spears were his favorite weapon, he decided to name you after his favorite weapon."

Lance sighed. "Is this what you didn't want to tell me at dinner last night?"

Allura giggled, while Keith and Hunk fought back boisterous laughs. Pidge just gawked.

Terra scratched her head sheepishly, and was about the reply, when the castle began shaking.

"What the-?" Lance began, but was cut off by loud explosions.

"Everyone, out of here! Get away from the debris!" Keith commanded, motioning to the door. The group raced for the door. A falling stone headed towards Raya, but Keith pushed her out of the way.

"Thanks," Raya said, her face dangerously close to Keith's.

Keith blushed bright red. "No problem," he stammered.

They quickly got to their feet and followed everyone out to the castle bridge. In the sky, Drule warships had gathered.

"No!" Lance cried. "It can't be!"

"Zarkon! He knew we'd be here! He's making one last stand!" Keith concluded from studying the ship. "There's not many of them, but this far from the Lions, we don't stand a chance!"

Terra's eyes narrowed. "Run. I'll distract them."

"What?" Lance asked, as she pushed them out of the castle.

"Just trust me," she said sternly. Lance glanced nervously at her. Sabin grabbed his arm and led him out.

"It's okay," he told his nephew. "She'll be fine."

They began to run through the desert, but were cut off by a ship landing near the castle. Zarkon, his son Lotor, and the evil witch Hagar stepped off, laughing maniacally.

"We've finally got you," Zarkon said bitterly. "No Lions in sight, and my fleet ready to destroy you! I knew you'd come back to this miserable planet after you freed those pathetic slaves!"

"This the one, Terra?" Sabin asked. Terra nodded, almost imperceptibly. Sabin growled, and lunged toward Zarkon. "You bastard! You killed my brother!" he shouted, stabbing at Zarkon with his metal claw. "I'll make you pay!"

Zarkon snickered. "Please. What can a pathetic human do against me? Especially the brother of the weakest king I've ever had the pleasure of killing." He raised a sword and parried Sabin's blows, knocking him over into the sand.

Meanwhile, bombs continued to fall around them. "You must get to the Lions," Terra said. "Go!"

"Raya, go with to protect them," Locke ordered. "We'll help Terra."

Raya nodded, grabbing Keith and Lance's arms and pulling them after her. "Let's go!" she commanded.

"Wait!" Lance protested, pulling his arm free. "Why are we leaving them?"

"Lance, trust me on this. Your mom and my mom are the number one and two strongest people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting," Raya explained, calmly but seriously. "You've got to trust them." She pushed him forward and they continued running toward their respective Lions.

Bombs continued to fall around them. "Watch out!" Keith yelled, as a bomb headed straight for him and Raya. Raya stared calmly at the bomb, holding her hands in front of her, as in prayer.

"Ice!" she shouted. Water in the air crystallized, forming a protective barrier around her and Keith. The bomb crashed into the ice, exploding into many tiny pieces. But the ice held strong, and they were safe.

"What was that?" Keith asked, completely dumbfounded. "That was amazing!"

Raya smiled. "I'm glad it worked. I've never actually tried using magic before. I honestly didn't even know if I would have any magic powers."

"Magic? You use magic?"

She shrugged. "Guess so."

Lance meanwhile was helping Allura into her Lion. Once she was safely in, he ran towards Red Lion, trying his best to dodge the bombs and flying shrapnel. Right outside the Red Lion, a bomb dropped directly towards him. He jumped down beneath his Lion, hoping to avoid the worst of the impact.

Allura watched in horror as the bomb fell towards Lance and Red Lion. "Oh no!" she cried, kicking her Lion into gear, shooting the claws at the warships hovering over Red Lion. She raced toward Lance, and gasped in shock at what she saw.

A large creature was standing over Lance, swatting away the bombs. It looked like a bull, but had some more human features. It had blue hair, brown fur, and majestic horns. It was huge too- at least as tall as the Lion. A field of what could only be described as pure energy protected Lance as the creature defended him from the attacks.

The creature let out a fierce yell. The sound waves seemed to crush the warships. When the immediate threat dissipated, Lance looked up, amazed by what he was seeing. The beast looked down at him, and almost looked as though it was smiling. It jumped away, heading to fight off more warships.

Lance scurried quickly into his Lion, and prepared for battle. "What is goin' on here?" Hunk asked over the radio. "Is everyone okay?"

"Aw, Hunk, don't be upset. This is just another day on the Voltron Force," Lance quipped. "Is it really that unusual for us?"

"Yea, it is!" Pidge protested. "The monsters don't normally help us!"

They flew the Lions toward Zarkon's ships, following the bull-creature. Locke and Celes were fighting off robots with. Sabin was locked in battle with Lotor. Terra couldn't be seen.

"Hey! Another monster!" Pidge cried over the radio. "What is that?"

Fighting Zarkon was feminine looking monster. She had a wild mane of hair, and was glowing silvery-pink. She held her hands in front of her, sending fire balls coursing after Zarkon.

The bull monster jumped into battle, aiding her. Zarkon and his troops were brought to their knees within mere minutes.

"That was it?" Lance asked, disappointed. "I was hoping for more."

"Be careful what you wish for Lance. We don't want those things to turn on us," Keith warned.

"No, they won't," Raya reassured. "Look."

The light emanating from the female monster shone brighter, then dimmed down, revealing an exhausted Terra. She fell to her knees, but the bull-monster helped her back to her feet.

The Voltron team and Raya rushed from the Lions. "What's going on?" Allura asked, amazed by what she had just seen.

Terra smiled, leaning on the bull monster, who had decreased in size to be closer to her height. "It's alright," Terra said soothingly. She turned to the bull, and asked him, "What are you doing here, Father?"

The Voltron Force gasped. "This is your father?" Lance asked.

The bull nodded. "Yes, Lance. My name is Maduin. I was there the last time this world was attacked, and protected you from the onslaught. You've grown since then, and have become a strong warrior. But through your life, I have been with you, protecting you."

"But, how?" Allura asked, curious.

"That pendant you carry," Maduin explained, "is made from magicite. It holds my power in it. When this world was attacked, the witch brought magic back, and I was able to help you."

"That's amazing," Allura said. "But Lance, you said magic didn't exist on your planet!"

"It did, once," Terra explained. "But during the Imperial War, we had to destroy the source of magic, in order to save the world."

"Yes," Maduin added. "Unfortunately, because the Statues were destroyed, my powers are very limited. I must go now. Farewell." He faded away.

"So, is everyone on your planet able to use magic?" Keith asked.

Raya shook her head. "No, not at all. Humans don't have magic. My mother, when she was young, was infused with magic and raised to be a Mage Knight. I inherited some of her power," she explained.

"Then what about you?" Hunk asked Terra curiously. "How did you turn into that thing?"

Terra sighed. "That creature you saw was my father. He was an Esper, a being that uses magic. My mother was human, which is why I was able to survive when magic was destroyed."

"So, you're an Esper too then?" Lance asked incredulously.

Terra nodded. "Yes, I am half Esper. And so are you. But you are also human. The only difference between you and any other human is that you may have some magic."

Lance smirked. "So, is there anything else I should know about myself?"

Terra laughed slightly. "No, I promise. This is the last surprise I have for you."


	6. Chapter 6

At the Castle on Planet Arus, the Voltron Force was outside practicing martial arts under Sabin's instructions. Lance had declined to join them, instead lying out by the lake watching the clouds go by.

"Hey, let's take a break," Sabin offered after a couple hours. He could see Nanny in the distance running toward them, screaming about how a princess should act. Even he, having been through war and life on one of Zarkon's slave planets, did not want to deal with the ferocious Nanny.

Sabin sat next to Lance. "How's it going?" he asked lightly.

Lance shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Considering this week I learned that my mother is alive, my dad was a king, and I'm part monster, I guess I can't complain."

Sabin snorted. "First of all, alive is good. Second of all, I'll come back to the king thing. But lastly, you're not a monster. Do you consider your mom a monster?"

Lance shook his head. "Didn't think so. You're more human than anything else, anyway."

Lance took a few seconds to drink it in. "Well, what about the second thing?"

Sabin looked at him quizzically for a second. "Huh? Oh, oh yeah. That. Edgar and I were twins, right? He was ten minutes older than I was. Dad didn't think it was fair that the succession should be based on ten minutes. So he had planned to have us split the kingdom, instead of just one of us inheriting it. Anyway, Dad died when Edgar and I were 17. I was furious with everyone- everyone! All they cared about was the succession. No one seemed to care that Dad was dead."

Sabin took a second to let Lance process the information. "Anyway," he continued, "Edgar was just as furious, but he had much better control of his temper than I did. But neither of us was really ready to take over. We were much too young. Maybe, together, it would have been fine. But it was too much for just one of us to do. So, I tried to convince Edgar to leave with me. But he realized we couldn't abandon everything Dad had worked so hard to build. We had a contest- we flipped a coin. If it came up heads, I would win, and would get my freedom. If it came up tails, Edgar would win, and he would have his freedom."

Lance's face lit with understanding. "That two-headed coin?" he asked. Sabin nodded.

"Your dad was a very generous person. He never ran from responsibility. Unfortunately, you have that trait too. You've got my temper though. However, it seems to me you inherited a lot of your dad's personality. You're more ready for this than you think. You can handle it, kid."

"Everyone keeps talking about Papa like he's this amazing, perfect person. How am I supposed to live up to that?" Lance asked.

Sabin sighed. "Edgar was far from perfect. He really was a letch. He flirted with every woman he ever met. It took your mother to finally calm him down. Besides, he never learned one very important thing, and his life may not have been as fulfilling as it could have been."

"What was that?" Lance asked.

"He was always taking care of everyone else. He never really learned to take care of himself. Now come on. Let me show you some awesome Blitzes!" Sabin stood up and offered a hand to Lance. They headed back toward the field, where Nanny was still scolding the princess.

"And you!" she yelled, pointing a finger into Sabin's chest. "You should know better! You're a prince yourself! You should know how to treat a princess!"

Sabin laughed. "I guess I missed that day in Prince School!" he joked.

Nanny began to glow red with anger. "Why, I never!"

Fortunately for Sabin, she was interrupted by Terra and Koran running to the group.

"Princess Allura, we have some important information for you," Koran said in an official manner. "Due to the state of the Kingdom of Figaro, we feel it is inappropriate for the people to return there to live. There is a piece of land in the south that is large enough for the people to live. Lady Terra and her people have agreed to stay on Arus, as a semi-autonomous state."

"You're staying?!" Allura cried excitedly. Lance's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't believe it. Everything was perfect. Everything was right.

He pulled Allura off her feet and twirled her around. When she landed, he dropped to his knee.

"Allura, this is wonderful! Allura, I love you so much. Will you marry—aw, no, no, no!"

"What's wrong?" Allura asked, feeling very nervous.

"I don't have a ring."

"Here," Terra said, as she peeled off her ring and tossed it to her son.

Lance caught the ring, and placed it on Allura's finger. "Allura, will you marry me?"

Allura smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Of course. Yes."

BREAK

Lance and Allura had decided on a short engagement- just a few weeks. Lance's adoptive parents, the McClains, had flown in from Earth to attend. On the wedding day, Allura searched frantically for Lance.

"There you are!" she cried when she finally found him, his mother straightening his tie, and his laughing at the scene.

"Hey! I'm not supposed to see you!" Lance protested. Allura looked at him quizzically. "It's an Earth tradition- the groom can't see the bride the day of the wedding before the ceremony," he explained.

Allura rolled her eyes. "Good thing you're from Figaro, then. Come on, I have a surprise! For all of you!"

She pulled Lance to a small labyrinth beneath the castle, his mother and uncle following.

"What is all this?" Terra asked, unsure of what was happening. Allura smiled sweetly and led them to a small altar.

"I was talking to my father, King Alfor, today. He arranged a small get together for you all."

The mist over the altar began to form into a human-like shape.

"Edgar!" Terra cried, immediately recognizing her deceased husband.

"Dad?" Lance asked in shock. "Wha- how?" he asked, turning to Allura.

"I told you, my father set it up for you," she giggled.

"Lance, my boy!" Edgar cried cheerfully. "I never thought I'd live to see the day… Oh, right. Anyway… Congratulations, my boy. I'm very proud of what you've become. You've made your Old Man quite proud."

Lance smiled. "Dad…"

"On a side note, you should probably watch out for assassination. It seems to strike down a number of the men in our family at a young age," Edgar joked. Lance rolled his eyes. "Got your mother's sense of humor then, eh?"

"Edgar!" Terra scolded. He looked up at her, catching her eyes. "Be nice! It's his wedding day!"

Edgar smirked. "My Love, you can't hurt me right now. But I'll be waiting for you. And Brother, thank you, for taking care of my dear wife."

With that, he faded away into the mist.

"Edgar!" Terra cried yet again, watching her husband leave her again. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She turned to Allura. "Thank you, Princess. This is the best gift I could ever imagine."

Lance wrapped Allura in his arms and held her tight. "Thank you, my Princess."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Koran gave Allura away at the ceremony, in the Earth tradition that Lance insisted upon. Keith, as Commander of the Voltron Force, performed the ceremony. It was short and sweet. Allura and Keith both almost broke out in tears when she caught his eye as he read the vows.

Keith smiled as he pronounced them man and wife. Lance kissed Allura, then grinned mischievously. His eyes darted back and forth from Allura and the guests.

Nanny screamed in disgust at the end. But Terra and Sabin laughed. "There goes Edgar's boy."

Lance had picked Allura up, slung her over his shoulder, and ran out of the church.


End file.
